“It SUCKED” Veteran WWE referee Mike Chioda reflects on his release and possibility of returning to the company
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Mike Chioda is one of the greatest referees in the pro wrestling industry. Chioda worked for almost 31 years for the company, making him the longest tenured referee in WWE history. But Chioda was released in 2021 in the COVID-19 pandemic as a part of WWE’s budget cuts in a shocking move.
While the budget cuts happened during the tenure of Vince McMahon it is now being anticipated that under Triple H’s creative control the veteran referee could be brought back. Chioda started officiating WWE matches in 1989 at the time of Survivor Series. Since then the referee has been involved in various storylines and has played a crucial role in officiating the high profile matches in the company.
Mike Chioda says his WWE release sucked as he had nowhere to go
Chioda recently reflected on his WWE release and why it was shocking for him and also answered the questions surrounding his return to the company under the new leadership. While speaking on “Monday Mailbag with Mike Chioda” he spoke- “I don’t know” when asked about his return to the company.
Speaking about his WWE release Chioda said it sucked because he was released at the time of a pandemic when the whole industry was suffering and he had nowhere to go. Chioda said- “It sucked that I got let go during a pandemic when everything was closed in our profession.” He also revealed that since he had nothing to do for a while, he started his own podcast.
While Chioda admitted that his release was shocking he also said that he is unsure if Vince would have handpicked his name to release him. He also believes that the release hit him hard as he didn’t want to retire at that and knew he could’ve worked for a longer period in the company.
He said that though he was released at the time of Vince McMahon but it is unlikely that Vince would have targeted his name specifically to release him. He explained – “I know Vince probably let it go, but I don’t know if Vince was the one that picked my name out of a hat during the pandemic and said, ‘We have to cut Mike Chioda, g*ddamnit.'”
Chioda further said he has no grudges against the company as he enjoyed his run to his core. He also said that you never know when it comes to WWE , indicating that he could make a return under the new leadership. Since his release Mike Chioda has made a few appearances on AEW to officiate some high profile matches but has not been officially signed by the company. Now it would be interesting to see if Triple H calls back the veteran referee or AEW signs him first.
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